The habit of excellence

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

One thing that we've noticed while doing this blog for the past year or so is that frequently, when employees receive one award, we'll get to see them again soon when they receive another. That's because these special Alabama District employees are the kind of people who strive for excellence across the board, in everything that they do. 

Ethelsville Rural Carrier Mike Hancock is this type of a person. "Mike is just an overall good worker," said Ethelsville Postmaster Valida Yarbrough. "He works well with others, and if there is something that he can do to help, he will do it."

"And he's been driving with his job at the Post Office for 27 years and has never had an at-fault accident. That is wonderful!" Yarbrough said.

Recently, Mike was presented with the National Safety Council's Award of Honor, with which he is pictured below.  As we have mentioned before, only .5 percent of Alabama District employees were eligible for this award this year. To receive it, one has to have driven 100,000 miles or ten years on the job without being responsible for causing an accident in a motor vehicle.

Ethelsville Rural Carrier Mike Hancock wins the NSC Award of Honor

We asked Mike about his approach to staying safe. He replied,  "For me, it's been all about defensive driving. Watch out for the other person: you never know what they are going to do."


Mike offered some great advice in another area, too. Over the course of his Postal career, he rarely used sick leave (at one point, he had gone 10 years without using any). It came in handy in the past few years when he had several unexpected surgeries on his back and hips. 

Because he had only used sick leave for emergencies, during his extended recovery, he didn't miss a paycheck. His advice: "Save your sick leave. Take care of your family. That's the same as money in the bank."


The foresight and care that he has for his family is extended towards his Postal customers as well. "I try to take care of my customers, give them all of the service that I can: they are my future," he said.


Thanks to you, Mike, for being such a conscientious person, a great example, and for your words of wisdom. Postmarks also thanks Valida Yarbrough for letting us know about Mike and the rest of the Ethelsville staff for their warm welcome.

Ethelsville Post Office staff: Postmaster Valida Yarbrough, Rural Carrier Mike Hancock, Clerk Tiana Nicholson, and Rural Carrier Kasandra Macisaac